from the Letters of Merchants, and others, who correfponded abroad, and from them was handed about by Word of Mouth only; fo that things did not fpread inftantly over the whole Nation, as they do now. But it feems that the Government had a true Account of it, and feveral Counfels were held about Ways to prevent its coming over; but all was kept very private. Hence it was, that this Rumour died off again, and People began to forget it, as a thing we were very little concern'd in, and that we hoped was not true; till the latter End of November, or the Beginning of December 1664, when wo Men, faid to be French-men, died of the Plague in Long Acre, or rather at the upper End of Drury Lane. The Family they were in, endeavour'd to conceal it as much as poffible; but as it had gotten fome Vent in the Difcourfe of the Neighbourhood, the Secretaries of State gat Knowledge of it. And concerning themselves to inquire about it, in order to be certain of the Truth, two Phyficians and a Surgeon were order'd to go to the Houfe, and make Infpection. This they did; and finding evident Tokens of the Sicknefs upon both the Bodies that were dead, they gave their Opinions publickly, that they died of the Plague: Whereupon it was given in to the Parith Clerk, and he alfo return'd them to the Hall; and it was printed in the weekly Bill of Mortality in the ufual manner, thus, Plague 2. Parishes infected 1. The People fhew'd a great Concern at this, and began to be allarm'd all over the Town, and the more, becaufe in the laft Week in December 1664, another Man died in the fame Houfe Houfe, and of the fame Diftemper: And then we were cafy again for about fix Weeks, when none having died with any Marks of Infection, it was faid, the Distemper was gone; but after that, I think it was about the 12th of February, another died in another Houfe, but in the fame Parish, and in the fame manner. This turn'd the Peoples Eyes pretty much towards that End of the Town; and the weekly Bills fhewing an Encrease of Burials in St. Giles's Parifh more than ufual, it began to be fufpected, that the Plague was among the People at that: End of the Town; and that many had died of it, tho they had taken Care to keep it as much from the Knowlege of the Publick, as poffible: This poffefs'd the Heads of the People very much, and few car'd to go thro' Drury Lane, or the other Streets fufpected, unless they had extraor dinary Bufinefs, that obliged them to it. This Encreafe of the Bills ftood thus; the ufual Number of Burials in a Week, in the Parishes of St. Giles's in the Fields, and St. Andrew's Holborn were from 12 to 17 or 19 each few more or lefs; but from the Time that the Plague first began in St. Giles's Parifh, it was obferv'd, that the ordinary Burials encreafed in Number confiderably. For Example, From Dec. 27th to Jan. 3. St. Giles's 16 St. Andrew's 17 -24 Feb. 7 to 14. St. Giles's The like Encrease of the Bills was obferv'd in the Parishes of St. Brides, adjoining on one Side of Holborn Parish, and in the Parish of St. James Clarkenwell, adjoining on the other Side of Holborn; in both which Parifhes the ufual Numbers that died weekly, were from 4 to 6 or 8, whereas at that time they were increas'd, as follows. From Dec. 20. to Dec. 27. St. Brides o From Jan. 31. to Feb. 7. St. Brides-13 St. James 5 Feb. 7. to 14. St. Brides-12 Befides this, it was obferv'd with great Uneafinefs by the People, that the weekly Bills in general encreas'd very much during thefe Weeks, altho' it was at a Time of the Year, when ufually the Bills are very moderate. The ufual Number of Burials within the Bills of Mortality for a Week, was from about 240 or thereabouts, to 300. The laft was esteem'd a pretty high Bill; but after this we found the Bills fucceffively encreafing, as follows. Dec. the 20. to the 27th, Buried 291. 27. to the 3 Jan. January 3. to the 10. 10. to the 17. 17. to the 24. Increased 349. 58 This laft Bill was really frightful, being a higher Number than had been known to have been buried in one Week, fince the preceeding Vifitation of 1656. However, all this went off again, and the Weather proving cold, and the Froft which began in December, ftill continuing very fevere, even till near the End of February, attended with fharp tho' moderate Winds, the Bills decreas'd again and the City grew healthy, and every body began to look upon the Danger as good as over; oniy that ftill the Burials in St. Giles's continu'd high: From the Beginning of April efpecially they flood at 25 each Week, till the Week from the 18th to the 25th, when there was buried in St. Giles's Parish B 3 Parifh 30, whereof two of the Plague, and 8 of the Spotted-Feaver, which was look'd upon as the fame thing; likewife the Number that died of the Spotted-Feaver in the whole increased, being 8 the Week before, and 12 the Week abovenamed. This alarm'd us all again, and terrible Apprehenfions were among the People, efpecially the Weather being now chang'd and growing warm,and the Summer being at Hand: However, the next Week there feem'd to be fome Hopes again, the Bills were low, the Number of the Dead in all was but 388, there was none of the Plague, and but four of the Spotted-Feaver. But the following Week it return'd again, and the Distemper was fpread into two or three other Parishes (viz.) St. Andrew's-Holborn, St. Cle ment's-Danes, and to the great Affliction of the City, one died within the Walls, in the Parish of St. Mary-Wool-Church, that is to fay, in Bearbinderlane near the Stocks market; in all there was nine of the Pague, and fix of the Spotted- Feaver. was however upon Inquiry found, that this Frenchman who died in Bearbinder-lane, was one who having liv'd in Long Acre, near the infected Houfes, had removed for fear of the Distemper, not knowing that he was already infected. It This was the beginning of May, yet the Weather was temperate, variable and cool enoughand People had fill fome Hopes: That which encourag' them was, that the City was healthy, the whole 97 Parishes buried but 54, and we began to hope, that as it was chiefly among the People at that End of the Town, it might go no farther; and the rather, becaufe the next Week which was from the 9th of May to the 16th there died but three, of which not one within the whole |